AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024 - 30

BRIEFING
NEWS /
SQUAWKS
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Bankruptcy auction set
for Icon Aircraft
The next steps in the Icon Aircraft
bankruptcy proceedings are set as
company executives seek to keep the
business intact and prevent investor
groups from selling off its assets. The
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District
of Delaware scheduled an asset auction
for Icon in June. The company filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy April 4.
Airline hirings soften
Hiring numbers are trending downward
as airlines like United Airlines, Delta
Air Lines, and Southwest Airlines have
announced slowdowns or hiring freezes.
Hiring numbers at the 12 major airlines
year-to-date are 2,989 pilots; 4,361
pilots were hired by this time last year.
Global GA community gathers
at IAOPA World Assembly
International affiliates of AOPA met with
aviation industry leaders, government
officials, and stakeholders from
across the globe at the International
Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot
Associations (IAOPA) World Assembly
in Washington, D.C. The biennial event
provides a valuable opportunity for the
global aviation community to come
together to discuss the latest challenges,
opportunities, and developments
impacting general aviation.
'Last Frontier' state holds big
GA gathering
The Alaska Airmen's Association-a
nonprofit organization founded in 1951
with a mission to protect, preserve,
and promote general aviation in
Alaska-held the Great Alaska Aviation
Gathering in May. It is the largest annual
aviation event held in the state.
aopa.org
30
AOPA PILOT / August 2024
AOPA NEWS /
New board members
Three AOPA trustees named
C. Austin Stephens (left), Daniel H. Otis (center), and T. Williams Roberts (right) have joined
the AOPA Board of Trustees.
THREE NEW MEMBERS have joined the AOPA Board of Trustees, which is led by
chairman Willian C. Trimble III, vice chairman William B.L. Hudson, and treasurer
James N. Hauslein. C. Austin Stephens, Daniel H. Otis, and T. Williams (Bill) Roberts
III, all active pilots, joined the AOPA Board of Trustees in 2024.
Stephens has been an AOPA member since 2020. He is a managing director
with Merrill Lynch in the private wealth practice of STG Partners. He graduated
from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, with a Bachelor of Arts in history,
and has served on a variety of nonprofit boards. Stephens holds a private pilot
certificate with instrument, single-engine land, single-engine sea, and multiengine
land ratings. He owns a Beechcraft Baron and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Otis has been an AOPA member since January 2022. He founded Brickstone
Partners Inc., a Nashville-based real estate private equity firm, in 2001. Brickstone
has been involved in more than $1 billion of office, retail and multifamily investment
and development, including partnering on Google's $130 million campus in Boulder,
Colorado. Recently, Brickstone has been focused on acquiring and developing
multifamily housing in legacy locations within core markets that benefit from strong
tailwinds. Otis earned a Bachelor of Science from North Dakota State University.
He holds a private pilot certificate with single-engine land and instrument ratings.
Roberts is a partner and co-CEO of GWK Investment Management LLC, a $53
billion asset management firm based in Boston. Roberts has responsibility for its
overall business operations, including finance, compliance, information technology,
operations, human resources, and administration functions.
Roberts earned his private pilot certificate in 2010, an instrument rating six
months later, and a Cirrus SF50 type rating in 2022. He has owned SR22s and
currently owns a 2022 Vision Jet G2+. Roberts has more than 2,000 hours in these
aircraft. He is an active member of Business Executives for National Security
(BENS), a nonprofit organization composed of business executives who work to
help the U.S. national security community address their most pressing challenges.
He serves on the Board of Governors and Executive Committee of the Investment
Adviser Association (IAA), and as treasurer and on the Board of Governors of the
Westminster Kennel Club. He received his Bachelor of Arts in political science from
Denison University.
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024

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